Two new solutions that could potentially change the way in which the mining and manufacturing indus- tries operate at plant level are being tested by real-time operations management solutions provider Wonderware, says Southern Africa MD Deon Barnard.

The situational awareness graphics and alarm management software will be released at the end of the year or in early 2014.

Situational awareness graphics software provides a new way in which the operator interface graphics are generated. In the past, operator interface was complicated, comprising intense three-dimensional graphics and elaborate visuals, explains Barnard.

This new way of conceptualising ope- rator interface deals with simplifying and highlighting what is necessary so that problem areas can be specifically targeted.

Originally a US initiative, the situational awareness graphics software is being tested in South Africa so that the country is ready when the technology is introduced, he tells Engineering News.

Barnard says, with regard to alarm management, plants are usually flooded with several alarms, called nuisance alarms. This makes it difficult for operators to differentiate between nuisance alarms and actual alarms and, by implication, to judge the importance of actual alarms.

Alarm management aims to imple- ment tools that analyse alarms and, therefore, eliminate unnecessary alarms or emphasise those that are more important than others.

Wonderware, which falls under the Invensys Operations Management stable, is conducting a pilot project at Rio Tinto’s operations in Richards Bay, KwaZulu- Natal. The aim of the project is to determine how users adapt to the software and establish proof of concept, which allows templates to be put in place so that Wonderware can deduce the most user-friendly solutions, says Barnard.

These solutions have been in use globally for five years and, with the South African market in mind, Wonderware is packaging these solutions to form part of its product offering in the future.

According to Barnard, situational awareness graphics and alarm management are the “next wave of changing implementations”, as they will change how plants operate, and Wonderware is pushing for implementation of this pro- ductivity-enhancing software.

He emphasises that the software is already embedded and, therefore, the only costs involved concern re-engineering the solutions according to the needs of a plant.